Gamecocks Begin SEC Weekend with 5-2 Win at Auburn
Carolina won four singles matches in straight sets to clinch at 4-1.
AUBURN, Ala.- South Carolina men’s tennis (15-6, 5-5 SEC) captured four singles wins in straight sets to clinch the team decision in what ended as a 5-2 win over Auburn (12-16, 0-10 SEC) on Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Sixth-ranked Paul Jubb (26-3) won his seventh-consecutive singles match, improving to 8-1 in SEC play and 14-1 in all dual-matches.
Carolina dropped the doubles points after suffering a tight 7-6 (5) loss at the No. 2 pair but controlled momentum on five of six courts to begin the singles portion of the match. Jubb was the first off of his court followed shortly after by No. 113 Daniel Rodrigues.
Beau Pelletier gave Carolina a 3-1 lead and Raphael Lambling clinched the team win after becoming the fourth-straight Gamecock to finish off a straight-set victory.
South Carolina has now won seven of the last eight matches over Auburn and five-straight.
DOUBLES
The Gamecocks, which came into the weekend having won three of their last four doubles points, fell behind on two of three courts to begin the match.
With Carolina having dropped a match at the No. 1 spot, Pelletier and Rodrigues kept the Gamecocks alive by breaking for 5-all and eventually winning 7-5 in the No. 3 doubles match.
Joseph Brailovsky and Jake Beasley led their back-and-forth contest against Matteo DeVincentis and Filippo Mora, 6-5. The Gamecocks’ true freshman tandem was unable to prevail in a tiebreak, however, falling 7-6 (5) to the Auburn duo.
Doubles Results:
1. No. 62 Brandon Laubser/Tad Maclean (AUBURN) def. No. 72 Paul Jubb/Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-2
2. Matteo DeVincentis/Filippo Mora (AUBURN) def. Joseph Brailovsky/Jake Beasley (SC) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Beau Pelletier/Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Anders Fry/Diego Chavarria (AUBURN) 7-5
Order of finish: 1,3,2
SINGLES
Jubb followed up a 6-4 first set win with a dominant 6-1 second to take out Auburn’s Matteo DeVincentis in striaight sets. With his 14th win over his last 15 matches, Jubb improves to 44-8 during his career in dual matches and puts him in a tie for fourth-highest single season win percentage (.900).
Rodrigues defeated Tad Maclean, 6-1, 6-3 to put Carolina ahead for the first time in the match, earning his team-leading 29th singles win of the season. The true freshman from Funchal, Portugal is now 10-3 in dual-matches at the No. 2 singles spot.
Pelletier, in his first SEC match of the season at the No. 4 position, won 6-2, 6-3 over Tim Dollman and Raphael Lambling clinched the team win at No. 3 singles with his 7-6 (4), 6-0 win over Filippo Mora.
Singles Results:
1. #6 Paul Jubb (SC) def. Matteo DeVincentis (AUBURN) 6-4, 6-1
2. #113 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Tad Maclean (AUBURN) 6-1, 6-3
3. Raphael Lambling (SC) def. Filippo Mora (AUBURN) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0
4. Beau Pelletier (SC) def. Tim Dollman (AUBURN) 6-2, 6-3
5. Brandon Laubser (AUBURN) def. Joseph Brailovsky (SC) 6-0, 4-6, 7-5
6. Thomas Brown (SC) def. Diego Chavarria (AUBURN) 6-0, 5-7, 5-3, retired
UP NEXT:
South Carolina will look to separate itself from a crowded group of five-win SEC teams as it travels to take on 26th-ranked Alabama on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET.
For men’s tennis updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
